Lamp holder

ABSTRACT

A base for a lamp socket, comprising a floor having an upstanding wall defining a lamp base receptacle, a portion of the wall having a slot to receive a forward part of an electrical contact, and a bridge spaced from the lamp socket receptacle supported on the floor for holding a rearward part of the electrical contact.

United States Patent Page et all.

[451 Apr. 4, 1972 LAMP HOLDER Ian Bruce Page, Hemel Hempstead; AlanThompson, Harrow, Middlesex, both of England AMP Incorporated,Harrisburg, Pa.

Aug. 12, 1970 Inventors:

Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 30, 1969 Great Britain..47,886/69 U.S. Cl. ..339/188 R, 339/88 R, 339/217 S Int. Cl ..I-1101r33/46 Field oi'Search ..339/50, 88 R, 176 L, 180, 18],

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,242,329 3/1966 Abrams..339/188X Gardner ..339/180 X Miles et al ..339/l81 R FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 930,520 7/1963 Great Britain ..339/49 R PrimaryExaminerMarvin A. Champion Assistant Examinerl.awrence J. StaabAttorney-William J. Keating, Ronald D. Grefe, Gerald K. Kita, FrederickW. Raring, Jay L. Seitchik and John P. Vandenburg [5 7] ABSTRACT A basefor a lamp socket, comprising a floor having an upstanding wall defininga lamp base receptacle, a portion of the wall having a slot to receive aforward part of an electrical contact, and a bridge spaced from the lampsocket receptacle supported on the floor for holding a rearward part ofthe electrical contact.

1 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures LAMP HOLDER This invention relates to a basefor a lamp socket and to a lamp socket incorporating such a base.

A base for a lamp socket, according to this invention, comprises a floorhaving an upstanding wall defining a lamp socket receptacle, the wallhaving a slot for receiving a forward portion of an electrical contact,and a bridge spaced from the lamp socket receptacle supported on thefloor for holding a rearward portion of the electrical contact.

Preferably walls extend laterally of the slot towards the bridge andhave undercut forward corners for engaging an intermediate portion of anelectrical contact. Advantageously the inner surface of the lamp socketreceptacle wall has notches for receiving projections on a tubular lampsocket having lamp-engaging means.

Preferably the floor has a channel intermediate the slotted portion ofthe wall and the bridge for receiving a tine extending from theelectrical contact so that the contact can lie close to the floor.

This invention includes a lamp socket comprising a base of thisinvention, a lamp socket received in the lamp socket receptacle and acontact, the contact having a forward part extending into the lampsocket receptacle through the slot and a rearward part passing under thebridge.

This invention is described, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view ofa base for a lamp socket;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view ofthe base of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a contact for the base of FIG. 1, crimpcd to anend ofa wire; and

FIG. 4 is a view as FIG. 2 of a lamp socket including a lamp.

The base of FIG. 1 and 2 is moulded of polypropylene and comprises anelongate floor 1 having a rounded end and a straight end. Adjacent therounded end the floor 1 has a generally circular upstanding walldefining a lamp socket receptacle 2. The outer rim of the wall isbevelled at 3. A portion of the wall has circumferentially spaced apartslots 4, three shown, which extend the height of the wall. Side walls 5defining the slots 4 are extended in general parallel relation a shortdistance towards the straight end of of the floor 1. The free end of thewalls 5 remote from the wall 2 is obliquely undercut at 6, FIG. 2. Thefloor 1 of the lamp socket receptacle 2 is dished at 7 to receive thebase 23 ofa lamp 21, FIG. 4, and the inner surface of the wall hasradially spaced apart recesses 8 extending to the floor 1 to receivelatching projections of a lamp socket 19, FIG. 4. A bridge 9 isintegrally supported on the floor 1 adjacent the straight end and liesin a direction generally tangential to the wall 2. The gap 10 betweenthe underside of the bridge 9 and the floor 1 is dimensioned to engagethe rearward end of an electrical contact 12, as explained below.Intermediate the bridge 9 and the lamp socket receptacle wall the floor1 has a shallow closed-ended channel 11 generally parallel to the bridge9.

A one piece contact 12 of FIG. 3, preferably of phosphor bronze, hasrearward crimping lugs 13 for crimping connection to an end of a wire14. Forwardly of the lugs 13 and the contact 12 has a middle portion 15,generally oblong in plan, the rearward corners 16 of which are inclineddownwardly. F orwardly of the middle portion 15 the contact 12 has amedial tongue portion 17 which is first inclined upwardly out of theplane of the middle portion 15 and then so inclined that the free end 18lies generally parallel to but above the middle portion 15.

The lamp socket receptacle 2 receives a generally tubular metal lampsocket 19, FIG. 4, by engagement of latching projections of the socket19 in the recesses 8 of the wall of the receptacle 2. The lamp socket 19has J-slots in opposite side walls for receiving bayonet prongs 20 of alamp 21. At its free end, the upper as shown in FIG. 4, the socket 19has upstanding curved edge shields 22. The lugs 13 of a contact 12 arecrimpcd to the end of a wire 14 and the contact passed through the gap10 of the bridge 9 and between the side walls 5 to enter a slot 4 untilthe forward comers of the middle portion 15 are received in the undercutpart 6 of the respective side walls 5 and the rearward corners 16 arereceived in the channel 11. The free end 18 of the tongue 17 then liesabove the dished area 7 and the contact 12 is held in position byreception of the middle portion 15 in the undercut part 6 of therespective side walls 5, the downwardly inclined corners 16 in thechannel 11 and the crimpcd lugs 13 in the gap 10 of the bridge 9.

On reception of the lamp 21 in the socket 19, the forward part 18 of acontact is electrically engaged by the base contact 23 of the lamp 21and resiliently urged towards the floor 7.

The lamp socket is most advantageously used in an automotive vehiclewhere space is restricted or wiring runs tangential to the lamp. Oneslot 4, the center one, may be used for a single contact to illuminate aturn indicator light or the outer slots 4 may each receive a contact fora two filament lamp used as a combined stop and rear light. The bridge 9may be arranged relative to the lamp socket receptacle 2 for receivingflag shaped contacts. The tubular lamp socket 19 may have endprojections passed through through-holes in the floor 7 of the lampsocket receptacle 2 and then peened to the underside.

We claim:

1. A lamp assembly comprising a base, said base comprising a floorhaving an upstanding wall defining a lamp base receptacle, a portion ofthe wall having a slot to receive a forward part of an electricalcontact, a bridge spaced from the lamp base receptacle supported on thefloor for holding a rearward part of the electrical contact, a channeldisposed in the floor between the lamp base receptacle and the bridge, alamp socket received in the lamp base receptacle, and an electricalcontact having a forward part extending through the slot in the lampbase receptacle, a rearward part disposed under the bridge, and anintermediate part having a lance received in the channel for locking thecontact relative to the base.

1. A lamp assembly comprising a base, said base comprising a floorhaving an upstanding wall defining a lamp base receptacle, a portion ofthe wall having a slot to receive a forward part of an electricalcontact, a bridge spaced from the lamp base receptacle supported on thefloor for holding a rearward part of the electrical contact, a channeldisposed in the floor between the lamp base receptacle and the bridge, alamp socket received in the lamp base receptacle, and an electricalcontact having a forward part extending through the slot in the lampbase receptacle, a rearward part disposed under the bridge, and anintermediate part having a lance received in the channel for locking thecontact relative to the base.